I was recently in Hydrabad, India for about 3 weeks. I had a type of tea there at people's houses, hotels, and restaurants that all tasted the same, and it was really good. It was a black tea, and I am guessing somewhere around an Assam, that they mixed with standard milk and sugar. One lady I was staying with let me smell it, and I had never smelled anything like it before. It looked also like Assam, with very small little coiled black leaves. With the milk and sugar, the tea looked reddish.However, when I inquired about what tea it was, everyone gave me the same answer. "Tea." They didn't tell me anything more. They just called it "tea" like there wasn't any type of tea other than tea. I asked if I could buy some and take it back to the US and they said they didn't do that. At the airport on the way home, I also tried to ask the clerks about the "local tea" and they said the same thing, that they didn't sell it.

I'm so confused. What kind of tea was this? I'm sure I'm able to order it from the USA right?

*I went and smelled/read up on about 120 teas at a local tea shop so far, and can't find it.

Perhaps you could contact some of the vendors associated with that event and ask them? A search in Google Maps also turned up several tea companies located in Hyderabad- perhaps they'd be willing to tell you too?

Interesting. All I can tell you to help in your journey is that Wagh Bakri is supposed to be the number one seller in India. It is my favorite tea- a bold and malty CTC Assam. I can get it in the US at any Indian grocery store or it can be bought on-line, I'm sure.

When you say you watched them brew the tea and it was only leaves, do you mean the leaves were large enough to be recognizable, so it's not possible there were ground spices or something mixed in already?

First of all, the 'tea' you're referring to is Assam CTC, almost always. The ubiquitous tea shops use the stronger & cheaper tea dust. Nilgiri CTC is also popular, but Assam swamps the market.

Some pointers on Indian chai:

1. The spices are never premixed with the tea.2. The spices used varies by weather and time of year. Freshly grated ginger is popular, and cardamom & cloves are strictly reserved for winter, since they are considered 'heating', and used sparingly. Pepper is rare.3. The tea is 'cooked', not steeped, with milk. If you ask for 'Special' tea, it is cooked just in milk, no water.4. Sugar, and lots of it.

A typical preperation might go like this:

Heat up water and milk in a pot, on low heat. It's important to start at low heat, otherwise the milk will burn. Once the mixture bubbles, it's safe to turn up the heat. Gather your ingedients, and chop your ginger. When the water and milk mixture reaches the point of steaming, add your sugar, spices and tea. Watch your pot carefully at this point since the milk mixture can quickly boil over, so usually this step is done at low heat. Turn up the heat, and your chai will immediately foam up. Turn off when the foam reaches its maximum height, usually to the point of overflowing. This is regarded as a sign that the tea is done. Some people like to swirl it around... go ahead. Filter out the tea leaves, and serve.

Enjoy!

This is the form of tea you'd probably encounter at an Indian home, piping hot. Hyderabadi tea cafes will serve you a uniquely Hyderabadi variety, called Irani Chai, which uses a reduced, almost condensed milk. Very nice, and very popular. It's best enjoyed in a roadside cafe, along with savoury - sweet Osmani biscuits, and perhaps a samosa or two!

I have an Indian-American client, an economist, who always serves me tea just that way. When I first started working for her, I thought I would find more specific varieties in her cupboard. But no, she just uses a generic Assam.

Really fine tea would get the flavor hidden by the additions anyway, just as in our flavored teas. But I'm pretty sure her spice mix is loaded with black pepper. It's hot as blazes.

@Sneakers: I totally agree. Indians view tea as a means to an end, ie, chai If anything, its a way to flavour milk!In my experience, every region has its own interpretation of what chai should be. The commonality, as I see it:

1. It must be strong enough to put hair on your chest.2. Milk, and loads of sugar.3. Served very hot.4. Must be drunk several times a day.

Since people drink so much tea, and you need strong tea, it just makes sense to use CTC for this purpose. Also, since the leaves must be cooked, tea bags just don't work. I've had Cylon long leaf based chai (my sis-in-law is Sri Lankan), and boy.. my mom and I gagged on what felt like dishwater. We smiled politely, but snuck out and bought some Assam CTC

As for the spices, it really depends on the region. Fresh ginger is a staple. Green cardamom is popular, but never the black. They are believed to have opposite effects in Ayurveda. I can't vouch for the pepper, since I haven't encountered it in the north, where I'm from, or in Hyderabad, where the Irani chai is more popular.